PASSING COMMENTS 1989-2017

you cry to easily and when you cry the tears don’t run down your face they pop right out of your eyes – you can’t take criticism, you need to learn how to take criticism – it’s in your blood – you don’t have any ideas, you start making work without an idea, I always have an idea before I begin making a piece – you don’t make art any more – you should rethink your tenancy in the studio – you try to make things out of garbage you need to spend money on real materials – you are ridiculously moral – your student, get rid of her – people don’t want to look at dark and depressing photographs, you need to make something more cheerful – you should wear more make-up, you used to, and it looked good – you are too full of ‘shoulds’ – you need to have a child, you should get pregnant – your work has no form – you have to understand that you are a very conservative person – you spend the evenings at home rather than in the studio, you need to spend more time in the studio – you need to make better work – you always have ‘shoulds’ for everyone else – you need to make something people want to look at – you cry an awful lot – it’s in your nature,you cannot change – you should have a child – your work is too full of subtleties and innuendo, your work should be more direct – you have been poorly trained – you hang out with them you should be here – no one knows what you are talking about – your work doesn’t have proper form – you are too much of a “Nurse Nancy” – you can’t stop it – you think your work has content but it doesn’t – you are too anxious – you are far too moral – you are actually a very repressed person – you should learn how to make things properly – your behavior is completely unacceptable – you spend too much time over there in that office – you don’t need studio space any more – you don’t work with expensive enough materials – your student, she is a total drag – you are too liberal – you need to make something people want to look at – you have been spending too much time with the wrong sort – you feel you need to spend time with your husband – you spend too much time at work – you are too sensitive – you cry an awful lot – you need to make better work – you don’t get enough exercise – you are deeply repressed – you should use proper tools – you can’t help it.

The above comments were ones I received from a male colleague during my early years working in the university’s Visual Arts department. Recently, women looking at the work often say “oh yes I have that same negative internal dialogue”. It is interesting , this internal/external dialogue and their relationship to each other.